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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 June 2000 Issue No. 486 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 June 2000 Issue No. 486
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Little time to recoup
By Inas MazharThe annual Bercy meet, by invitation only, has always been a good testing ground for future, grander handball tournaments. But the French championship holds extra meaning this year since it falls just three months before the Summer Olympics. What Egypt does in France will be of even greater significance, and will be scrutinised under the microscope even closer, since the event follows an unexpectedly weak showing at the recently concluded Intercontinental Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The African champions placed third out of five nations, coming behind Sweden and Korea and ahead of Brazil and hosts Saudi Arabia. Though Yugoslav coach Zoran Zivkovic had promised a second place finish, his predictions went awry from the start as Egypt lost 22-21 against South Korea in the opener.
The upset was temporarily forgotten when Egypt held the hosts 23-20 in the second game but the team uncharacteristically went downhill again, drawing 17-17 with lowly Brazil. The roller-coaster ride ended on a high note when Egypt defeated Sweden, the defending world champions, 27-26. However, the victory, the first ever against Sweden, came too late since Sweden had already buttoned up first place and Egypt sealed its fate courtesy of the prior performances.
Hassan Mustafa, president of the Egyptian Handball Federation, said the loss to Brazil was due to over-confidence and an underestimation of their opponent. He attributed the team's modest performance in general to exhaustion. "Since April, the team had trained for the African championship in Algeria which it won after a series of fiercely fought matches. Then the team prepared for this tournament [in Saudi Arabia] by playing four friendly games in Macedonia beforehand." Then came three days of intensive training in Cairo before the team headed for France for the four-nation tournament In Bercy.
Egypt's Saber Hussein
The Bercy championship does not bode well for Egypt if Mustafa's assessment is correct. The days and weeks Egypt's players have spent going up and down the court, whether in training or for the real thing, will not be reduced; the Bercy tournament in fact begins tomorrow, giving scant chance for Egypt to take a breather and can indeed only lend to the team's up and down season.
Egypt returns to the three-day Bercy meet, which includes Sweden, Cuba and host nation France, being absent since 1996 when it placed second. On Friday, it will open the championship against Sweden in a rematch of their encounter in Saudi Arabia. On the same day France will face Cuba. On Saturday, Sweden plays Cuba after which the world's best two players, male and female, will be honoured followed by the draw for the 2001 World Cup to be held in France next January.
Egypt will then play France later in the day. The tournament concludes on Sunday when Egypt takes on Cuba and France plays Sweden.
